O4m Barbershop Sc. 2 Apr 2026

O4M pauses. For the first time, he looks at Ezra’s reflection—not his hair, not his posture, but his eyes.

He makes the first cut. A small lock of hair falls onto the apron. Ezra flinches, but only slightly.

For that?

That’s why you’re here.

O4M sweeps the fallen hair into a small pile. He pauses, looks at the middle chair, then at the mirror. o4m barbershop sc. 2

Ezra hesitates, then takes the middle chair. He does not spin it or adjust it. He sits like a man sitting in a waiting room.

Ezra pulls out a twenty. Lays it on the counter. Then, without asking, he picks up the small hand mirror from the hook and looks at the back of his head—something most men never do. O4M pauses

That’s the part you hold onto.

You’re holding your helmet like it’s a bomb. And you sat in the middle chair. First-timers always sit in the middle. They think it’s neutral. It’s not. The middle chair is for men who can’t decide what they want. A small lock of hair falls onto the apron

He sets the shears down. Picks up the clippers. The hum fills the small shop like a prayer.